I *cannot* believe I've not come across this fic before.

Brilliant piece of writing!

Now this is *really* something. A lovely piece. It's so warm and sad and touching, but not in the least bit sentimental. There are so many tiny details in this that I just loved - the final group for the last battle, the way some of your language and images really stood out (I *love* the comparison - '...and took to magic like a blue chocobo to water', lol) and the contrast between Cloud's early memory of Avalanche in the buggy having fun against the reality of it was incredible.

Brilliant portrayal of Cloud and Aeris - so many writers portray her as as this sweet and innocent angel and Cloud as wallowing in a black hole of suicidal angst after her loss, but you give so much more to them, and keep them beautifully in-character and...emotionally true, I guess. The character-insight you show here is wonderful - you've made them so human! I loved how you kept in mind Aeris' flaws but at the same time made them incredibley loveable...as well as showing that her flaws seem to make Cloud care for her even more. And LOL - I can very easily see her as enjoying getting drunk and being a crazy driver!

The way you write Cloud's reflections on her is so beautiful...you don't go overboard with the angst, but at the same time the way you emphasise the emptiness he feels without her (without even specifying what his feelings for her really WERE - a welcome change)...it really got to me. Made me ache inside a bit. But damn, that's one excellent Cloud you write! Word-perfect characterization. His observations and feelings throughout were just spot-on and I loved the 'Aeris has gone off to the Lifestream without me. Isn't she mean?' moment. Simple, but deeply sad.

Anyway - beautiful writing, beautiful characters, beautiful ending...beautiful fic. I adore it. I love how you've put so much thought and character and complexity in such a relatively short and simple piece. Great work! ;)

I love this. You have described Cloud in a perfect way, a way that I have tried to capture and have failed. This is WONDERFUL!

THAT is good. It's a very human take on Aeris - she's almost universally beatified or even deified and this fic really goes against that cardboard-cutout image it's so easy to have of her. It's a very original and very realistic take on the feelings of everyone involved. Very, very well done.


Oh, and: http://chikune.com/board/index.php?s=2432e8a571c4f47fd9a69a7f7f113b7d&act=ST&f=16&t=557 COME KWOON. :P

*sniff*... aw... =') It's very good. Well-writen in my opinion. Keep up the good work! =)
Cheers!

Beautiful. *adds to favorites*

Argh. This is so incredibly amazing, I don't know where to start. It made me want to laugh, and it made me want to cry. I loved every sentence of it, from the first to the last. Something about your portrayal of that one moment, of the non perfect Aeris, of Cloud... It just made it all come together. It was melancholy, like Cloud said, and oh so beautiful.